Indian Memorial

This second national memorial for Indian soldiers was inaugurated on the 10th November 2018. It honors the Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. The first one is on the ramparts of the Menin Gate in Ypres (Item 62111).


It consists of a small mausoleum depicting Indian involvement in World War I, as well as a monument adorned with the National Symbol of India: four lions, three of which are visible flanked by banners.

The Battle of Cambrai, from the 20th November to the 4th December 1917, cost the lives of 40,000 soldiers. After the British initially breached German lines using tanks, they were repulsed by a counterattack, and only through the deployment of the Indian reserves could the Allied positions be held.

Nearly 140,000 Indian soldiers fought in France and Belgium during World War I, of whom 9,300 were killed. They are buried in one of the 168 Commonwealth cemeteries in France and Belgium.

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Source

• Text: Francky De Rous
• Photos: Francky de Rous